Creamy Keto Garlic and Olive Pasta Alfredo
Published October 13, 2019 • Updated February 23, 2026
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter -
2 garlic cloves, minced
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1 1/2 cups heavy cream
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1 egg yolk
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1 cup parmesan cheese
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1 cup green olives, chopped
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salt and pepper, to taste
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6 cups zucchini noodles
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Heat the garlic
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Then add garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add cream to garlic
Slowly pour the cream mixture into the skillet with the garlic butter. Stir until combined. Continue cooking until the mixture thickens. About 5-7 minutes.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different type of pasta instead of zucchini noodles or shirataki pasta?
Yes! Zucchini noodles and shirataki pasta are great low-carb options, but you can also use spaghetti squash or even whole grain pasta if you're not strictly keto.
What can I substitute for heavy cream to make this recipe dairy-free?
You can use full-fat coconut milk or a dairy-free heavy cream alternative. Just know that this will slightly alter the flavor and consistency of the sauce.
How do I store leftovers of the Creamy Keto Garlic and Olive Pasta Alfredo?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When reheating, add a splash of cream or water to restore the sauce's creaminess.
Can I make this recipe vegetarian?
Yes! This recipe is already vegetarian-friendly since it uses no meat. Just make sure your parmesan cheese is rennet-free if you want it to be strictly vegetarian.
Is this recipe suitable for meal prep?
Yes! You can prepare the sauce and noodles in advance, then combine them just before serving. Zucchini noodles do release water, so store them separately until ready to eat.
Pasta is often missed on a low carb diet, but there are great alternatives. Zoodles (zucchini noodles) are probably the most accessible substitute for pasta. In this recipe, I coat them in a creamy garlicky sauce with chunks of green olive. The combination of olives and garlic in an alfredo sauce creates a unique dish that is surprisingly easy to make – quick, satisfying, and tasty.
There are several noodle replacements worth trying. The two most common are zucchini noodles (“zoodles”) and 
Shirataki noodles are another popular low-carb noodle substitute. They’re made from the konjac yam and contain mostly water and glucomannan, a water soluble fiber. Shirataki noodles are ZERO carb, unlike zoodles, which do have carbohydrates.
If you prepare them correctly according to the package directions, shirataki noodles don’t have much flavor so they will take up the flavor of the dish they are made with.
The brand of shirataki noodles that I prefer are made by 
This creamy alfredo sauce starts with an egg yolk and heavy cream. I mix them together, then slowly pour the mixture into the skillet with the garlic butter. The yolk and cream get whisked as they hit the hot skillet, which helps thicken the sauce. Once it thickens, grated parmesan cheese goes in, which makes it even thicker and richer. Finally green olives are added to give the sauce a bit of a briny bite – in the best way!
Here are some ways to change up this alfredo:
Made this seven or eight times now. The green olives almost got left out the first time but they do something to the sauce that I can't explain, it just goes flat without them. Cream and egg yolk whisked together gets you this silky coat on the zucchini noodles that feels richer than it has any right to. I'm not really a confident cook but this hasn't let me down once. Started keeping a double batch of the sauce in the fridge last month. The garlic butter smell when it hits the pan pulls everyone into the kitchen every single time. Seven net carbs and it eats like something way more indulgent.
Store the noodles separate and the sauce keeps 4-5 days easy. Zucchini releases water if they sit together. The egg yolk is what makes it coat the way it does, I've tried without it and it's not the same.
Tried six different keto alfredo recipes before this one. The green olives I almost skipped are what make it actually good.
They're what makes it not just another parmesan cream sauce. Almost pulled them from the test batch too, glad I didn't.
My husband hates olives, which is frustrating because this sauce sounds amazing to me. Can I skip them without wrecking it, or is there a swap that gets that salty, briny hit? Would capers work?
Capers work, just use about 3 tablespoons, not a full cup. They're way more pungent. Skip them entirely and the sauce is still good, just garlic parmesan without the briny thing that makes this one different.
My sister is lactose intolerant so I'm trying to adapt this for her. Would coconut cream work instead of heavy cream? I've heard coconut milk can get weird when heated and I'm not sure how that plays with the egg yolk step.
Coconut cream is the better call here, not coconut milk. Fat content is closer to heavy cream so it thickens right. For the egg yolk step, low heat and keep stirring. She'll still get coconut flavor though. Garlic and olives mask some of it but not all.
my husband ate two bowls and asked if we had more olives
Ha! That's exactly how it goes at my house too. I keep extra olives on hand now because someone always goes back for seconds.
Beginner's question - are the nutritional totals for each of the 6 servings, or for the whole dish?
It's for each of the 6 servings - not the whole dish